- Director : Bill Holderman
- Actors : Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, Diane Keaton
- Subtitles: : English, Spanish
- Studio : Studio Distribution Services
- MPAA rating : PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 2
- Run time : 1 hour and 48 minutes
- Release date : July 11, 2023
The premise for Book Club involving
four senior friends who take new chances with their lives after deciding to
read Fifty Shades of Grey together sounded like something formulated by
studio heads. This low-brow high concept relied entirely on the cast of veteran
actresses, who most were just excited to see on the big screen without having
to be delineated to a supporting role. But other than providing entertainment
for an often-ignored demographic, Book Club was little more than sitcom
material repurposed for a feature film. Book Club: The Next Chapter
serves the same purpose, while also feeling like an excuse to reward these
legendary actresses with a European vacation in place of an improved script.
Just as I’m sure
it affected the cast’s decision to agree to make this film, a period of
lockdown during the Covid pandemic inspires the four friends to take a trip to
Italy together to reconnect. Vivian (Jane Fonda) impulsively agrees to marry
Arthur (Don Johnson) after a lifetime of an independent life being single, so
the other members of the book club come up with the idea to travel to Italy for
a bachelorette trip. Diane (Diane Keaton) sees the trip as an opportunity to
spread the ashes of her late husband, allowing her to move on with new flame Mitchell
(Andy Garcia). Despite doing her best to enjoy the trip, Carol (Mary
Steenburgen) worries about her husband Bruce (Craig T. Nelson), who is recovering
from a heart attack. As the only single one in the group, Sharon (Candice
Bergen) makes the most out of the trip when she meets retired philosophy
professor Ousmane (Hugh Quarshie).
Just as with the
first film, the initial plot is loosely connected to the book club the four
friends belong to, though thankfully they have left behind the smutty Twilight
fan fiction written by E. L. James. This time they are reading The Alchemist
by Paolo Coelho, the themes of which are occasionally crammed into the dialogue
and storyline. It may not be as flashy or universally known as their previous
book of choice, but I was just thankful the characters had something with more
substance, even if the book club once again barely plays into the narrative
despite the misleading title of the franchise.
Everything about
this film is painfully contrived and never reads as anything but artificial.
But if you like any of the actors in the cast, there are moments of enjoyment
to be found. The stars don’t have to stretch their acting skills much,
essentially just leaning into the screen personas they are best known for without
much deviation (Keaton doesn’t even bother to change the character’s name from
her own). It still feels like a bad sitcom and the writing does nothing to help
the actors, but there is some familiar enjoyment to be found from those who
have no desire to be challenged by their entertainment. There are worse things
to have on in the background.
The Collector’s Edition
Blu-ray release for Book Club: The Next Chapter comes with multiple ways
to watch the film, in addition to the high-definition disc. There is also a DVD
copy included in the package, and a code for a digital copy of the film. The
extras on the discs include a featurette about the cast’s return to the franchise,
as well as one about their wardrobe (which seems to have gotten more attention
than the script), and another about their Italian filming locations.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4.5/10
Historical
Significance: 3/10
Special Features: 5/10
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